Shaihoond
This great fores t is unclaimed by any power. It is the border between the civilized South and the wild lands of the North. It is a savage place. Human settlements only penetrate the very edges of the forest. it is sometimes called the Great Wild Wood. The settlers along t he forests edge take lumber from the forest, mostly walnut, birch, and pine, and ship it to the towns on the Gbor Nor. To simplify the transport, most of the settlements are along the rivers that penetrate the forest. In addition to lumbermen, the settleme nts have greater than normal numbers of rangers, guides, wardens, huntsmen, and trappers. These souls bravely venture into the forest for their livelihood. The Shaihoond is noted for its animal life. Hunters from the civilized South and the savage North st alk this ground but they risk running into the forests most dangerous inhabitants, the Shiltelquessir, or elves of the Twilght. Located deep within the the hidden valleys at the heart of the Shalhoond are several large settlements of Green Elves who speak a dialect not heard in the world since the fall of Miyeritar. Dark of skin, hair and eyes, the elves here live within giant arboreal complexes covered by craftily constructed mythals and illusions. The worship of Angharad is the primarydeity worshipped here, and the name of Corellon and the other Seldarine is a distant legend filled with anger, hatred and betrayal. It is thanks to the perfidy of Angharad that these many thousands of Miyeritaran and Star Elven decendants avoided the evils of the Crown Wars and the betrayal of Corellon both. Now Green Elves with Dark, Green and Star Elven ancestry, the many thousands of Shiltelquessir claim the entire Shalhoond and the southern slopes of the Khopetdagshan as their own. The Imaskari Artificers know o f at least three Elven cities located within the forest, all covered by mighty mythals woven before humans had even discovered magic. After several disasterous border wars in which vast numbers of humans have been slain, and many hundreds of artificers la yed low, the rulers of Imaskar decided wisely to leave well enough alone, and declared the forest off limits. Still the elves happily trade plantation grown timber, bows, and other forest products with the humans. A strong alliance has been maintained be tween the rulers of Shalhoond and the Emirs of Katakoro and their Malviddi allies for many centuries, and many wonder if this is one of the reasons why the upper kingdom was spared the Silent Death. Here th e land is dry and rugged. The forest cover s the lower slopes of the mountains, filling the steeply - angled valleys. Rivers rushing down from the peaks cut sharp, narrow valleys, each river separated from the others by knifelike ridges. As the water quickly descends to the surrounding plain, they drain aw ay. Many actually disappear before ever leaving the confines of the forest, while others sink underground on the dry lands of the steppe or flow into the Gbor Nor. In the Shalhoond, the w inters are cold, though nowhere near as bitter as the biting chill of the north. The cold winds that sweep across the steppe from the north are moderated by warmer winds blowing from Gbor Nor and the south. The springtime enters with less violence and lasts longer. It is in summertime when the true extremes are felt. The temperature can be scorchingly hot for days on end, sometimes humid and sometimes dry. With fall the temperature once again becomes moderate. The fall season lasts for a month or more . The principal trees here are pines, birch, and aspen along the edges with the deeper valleys filled with walnut, sycamore, trident maple and oak . There is little marshy ground and the forest floor is more open. Steppe and prairie grasses grow in the open areas. Wildlife is abundant, both game and predators. There are musk d eer, wolves, mountain goats, foxes, snow leopards, porcupines, hawks, eagles, deer, badgers, and occasionally tigers. Numerous game birds either live in or migrate through the Shalhoond — ducks, geese, pheasants, and quail. Hunters from the steppe regularly pass through the Ejen Horo to bag the game of the Shalhoond. Category:Forests Category:Locations in Southeast Faerûn